


Seasonal Escort

by KniteLyte



Category: Midnight Poppyland
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:01:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27862725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KniteLyte/pseuds/KniteLyte
Summary: Poppylan Wilkes is a successful book editor that doesn’t have time for relationships. Good thing you can request a service...
Relationships: Tora x Poppy
Comments: 54
Kudos: 238





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I had this idea a while back, and finally got around to putting it in words! A very NSFW one shot (: hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> Characters belong to the amazing Lilydusk 💕

Poppy sighed, leaning back in the leather chair, staring blankly at her computer screen. She had five projects all needing to be finished by the end of the month, and Jacob had called out deathly ill for the next two weeks. Erdene was already up to her eyes in paperwork, and so Poppy had added Jacob’s workload to her own. 

_ I really need to post a hiring paper,  _ she thought, sipping at her glass of wine. It felt later than it was, and luckily she didn’t have to go into the office tomorrow. It was the weekend, but she would still be working from home.  _ Owning your own book editing company can be tiring _ . 

Poppy bit the inside of her lip. Well, she did have the weekend. It wasn’t  _ too _ late. Maybe she could…

The breakup had happened five years ago, and shortly after Poppy’s business had taken off. She didn’t have time for dating, or going out. But she was still a woman, and women had needs. Healthy, sexual needs. There was only so much she could do on her own, she felt. Erdene used to try and get her to go out, and while Poppy did on occasion, she always felt exhausted. And Erdene’s friends weren’t interested in someone like her, which was fair. She hadn’t been very interested in them, either. 

But with work, neither of them had time to go out anymore. But it had been  _ months, _ and Poppy felt that itch. 

She sighed, standing. She had rented a condo in downtown Narin, just a few blocks away from the office space of  _ Poppy Field Publishing _ , so it was always too convenient to stop by work to either grab more papers or work on something. 

She walked to her living room, sliding down onto the couch, wine glass still in hand. She had used a certain service before, and overall she had liked the guys that showed up. Do the deed, and then get out. It was a perfect system for her, for now. She still carried the emotional scars from her past ex, and she had yet to really move on from those. 

Already blushing, Poppy brought up the website on her phone.  _ Quincey’s Angels _ . Silly name, and originally she had thought it was a female service. But upon closer inspection, it was a wide range of… needs. 

Poppy clicked to set up a meet, and she requested for that night. It was only seven, so plenty of time for her to make a quick dinner and shower, and pick up a little bit. Assuming they had someone available. 

She soon got a text, and Poppy threw back the rest of her wine as she opened it. 

_ Thanks for booking with us! We do have a man available for tonight. Would nine be okay? _

She quickly texted back a yes, and she wondered into the kitchen to make a quick dinner. 

_ Thank you! We have one more available. Would you like a picture to confirm? _

She quickly texted yes again, and pulled out a baggie of udon noodles. The water had come to a boil when her phone dinged, and with some excitement she opened it. 

He was not like the other guys that she had seen. 

Smooth tan skin, and tattoos, from his chest all the way down to his forearms. The picture was of him, arms crossed across his bare torso, and those amber eyes burning into the camera. It didn’t seem like a staged photo, like the others she had been sent. Rather, they had invaded his time to take the picture. 

But those amber eyes already made her stomach fill with butterflies. Poppy texted back another confirmation, and went to finish dinner. A quick udon ramen hit the spot, with the green onions and boiled egg. Poppy poured herself another glass of wine once she finished and put the dish away, and went to make her bedroom somewhat presentable. 

It wasn't like it mattered too much, but Poppy would’ve felt embarrassed if the place wasn’t cleaned up a little. Granted, she wasn’t home often enough to get it dirty. But making the bed always gave her room a nice touch. And the sheets were clean, she had changed them this morning. 

Once that was done, she started the water in the shower. She undressed as it heated up, brushing her hair from any tangles, and it fell almost to her butt. Maybe she should go get a trim. Had she really not had time for anything lately? Maybe once the hired one or two new people she could take a little mini vacation…

Her shower was long, since she still had over an hour, and she carefully went over her whole body with the razor. She lathered the soap in her hair, massaging her scalp as she did. Then finally some conditioner, washed it out, and did a quick sugar scrub. The sugar scrub always made her feel extra clean and smelling nice. It was coconut vanilla this time around. She paired it with the brand’s lotion, and quickly rubbed it on her legs and arms. At least she was a good client. Poppy made herself presentable. 

Still twenty minutes. 

They usually provided the condoms when they came, but Poppy always made sure to have some of her own. Pulling them out of the side table, she counted four. At least she had enough for a few more sessions, but she ought to buy more the next time she was at the grocers. 

She finished her wine, and sat on her bed, nervous. This wasn’t the first time, and more than likely wouldn’t be the last, but every time she was terribly nervous. Though, this time, she almost wished she hadn’t requested the picture. He was intimidatingly gorgeous. The other two had been cute and everything, but there was something in this one’s eyes that she knew she would be turned into jelly. 

Her phone buzzes, and she picked it up, seeing it was an unknown number. 

_ This is Tora, from QA. I’m outside. What’s the gate code? _

Shoot, she had forgotten to give them that. Then again, maybe Poppy could request to have it put into their system, or something. 

Poppy started to pace nervously, since she could no longer just sit. She even jumped when there was a light knock at the door. Poppy walked quietly over, running her hands through her hair and smoothing down her clothes. Just a pair of comfy shorts and a tank top. Nothing too much. They were going to come off, anyways. 

She double checked it was actually him on the camera, and felt the butterflies in her stomach going crazy. He was  _ tall _ . Probably a foot taller than she was. 

Before she lost all her courage, she opened the door. 

Those eyes she was completely engrossed with locked on to her immediately. Poppy felt all her words get stuck in her mouth, and it seemed he had the same problem, since they both stood there staring. 

He was wearing their usual attire, it seemed. A nice suit, and it clung to his form snugly. His hair was half up, half down, and tied up in the back. And she was correct, he was at least a foot taller than her. She didn’t reach his shoulder. 

“Hey,” he said, clearing his throat. “I’m Tora.”

“Poppy!” She said, snapping out of it. She felt her face get hot, and she stepped out of the doorway. “C-Come in!”

“Nice to meet ya,” he said, his voice deep. Was Poppy going to get so worked up before he even touched her? Yes. Yes she was. He looked around her condo, until his eyes settled on her. “So, how ya wanna do this?”

“Like, how?” Poppy said dumbly, completely spacing. He grinned down at her, obviously amused, and she felt her face go scarlet. “Oh! Um. I’m not sure. Do you want water or anything?”

Poppy was usually much smoother than this! She could hardly look at him, but at the same time she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. She heard him follow her as she went to the kitchen, suddenly very determined to get him that glass of water. 

“This your first time?” He asked, and she could still feel him close behind her as she searched for a glass. Were they all in the wash? Seemed like it. 

“N-No,” Poppy laughed breathlessly. “You just don’t… look quite like the other ones.”

She watched as his arms slid on either side of her, resting on the counter top. He had yet to touch her, but she already felt like her body was on fire. 

Poopy couldn’t wait till they really started. 

“I’m a good way?” His voice, deep and husky, was right next to her ear. “Or bad?”

“G-Good,” she stuttered. “Very good.”

Poppy closed her eyes as she felt his fingertips brush against her cheek, and then sliding down to push her hair off her shoulders. His breath was hot on her neck, and she felt the lightest nuzzle on her neck. “Ya want me to take it from here?”

“Please,” Poppy said softly. 

His mouth on her neck was enough to make her arch her back, and bite her lip. She tilted her head to the side, and he continued to trail kisses down her neck. His hand cupped the side of her head gently, fingers intertwining in her hair. With said hand, he guided her to turn around to face him, and she felt her heart jump into her throat. 

A light blush had appeared on his cheek bones, and his eyes were half lidded, but still looking at her with such an intensity, warmth pooled into her lower region. 

“Tell me if ya need to take a break,” he breathed, and his breath smelled like wintergreen and cigarette smoke. Her new favorite. 

“I don’t,” she said breathlessly back, almost instantly. She never wanted to  _ stop _ . 

He smiled at her - and were those dimples? Could this man have one flaw? 

His hands slid to her hips, slowly reaching down to grab her ass, and lifted her up. Poppy instinctively grabbed on to his shoulders, and her legs wrapped around him as he picked her up, and then sat her on the kitchen counter. They were now closer to the same height. 

Tora was looking at her, as if gauging I’d be sad moving in the right direction, and Poppy pulled him forward by the shoulders to kiss him. 

If she thought his breath smelled nice, he tasted like  _ heaven _ . Poppy wasn’t sure if she would be able to request someone else ever again. His mouth was warm, and he followed her movements to perfection. His arm was wrapped around her, pulling her flush against him. 

Poppy smoothed her hands down to his chest, finding his tie. She quickly found the knot, and began pulling it off. Tora pulled back slightly to give her a bit more room to work with. 

Poppy got the first few buttons undone, and she slipped a hand into his shirt, feeling the smooth skin, tracing up to his shoulders. Tora growled deep in his throat, and grabbed her bottom lip gently with his teeth. 

Poppy gasped, digging her nails into his shoulder, arching her back and pressing her breasts hard into his chest. 

“Where’s the bed,” he demanded, suddenly lifting Poppy up, both hands cupping her ass. 

“O-Over there,” Poppy motioned with her head, and he almost marched to the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giddy with excitement. Her nervousness was slowly fading away, and when he sat her on the bed, she stopped him from laying her down. 

“Wait,” she said breathlessly. Tora paused, and pulled back to look down at her. “You’re way too overdressed for my bed.”

Tora blinked, and the grin spread across his face. He straightened, and Poppy quickly slid forward so she could continue undoing his shirt buttons. He kicked his shoes off as she did, and Poppy finally I did the last button as she untucked his shirt. 

_ Sweet baby Jesus. _ He was stunning. Poppy had never been with someone so built before, and that dang V cut, sloping down to under his pants…

The pants that had a very obvious bulge. She blushed, and looked up at him to see him watching her admire him. She smiled shyly, and reached up slowly to touch his abdomen. The muscles were hard and warm under her hands, and she lowered her hand till she touched his belt. 

“Can I?” She asked, glancing up at him. He only nodded, eyes still focused intently on her. 

She pulled the end of the belt from the loops, and undid the buckle. Then she went for the button, and slid the zipper down. Poppy swallowed, and grabbed the side of the slacks, and tugged them down. Tora stepped forward, and Poppy leaned back as he crouched over her, stepping from his pants. 

“Who is the overdressed one now?” Tora said, voice husky. Poppy looked him up and down, and she heard him sharply inhale. 

“Still you,” she said cheekily, grinning. 

“Well, maybe we should make it fair…” Tora trailed off, hand going to her waist, and she felt his thumb glide against the exposed skin where her shirt had rode up. 

“Yeah…” 

Tora smiled, leaning forward to kiss her once again. They scooted up until Poppy hit the pillows, and Tora pressed some of his weight on her. It was a nice feeling, and she brought both legs up so he was settled between them. 

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Tora pulled away breathlessly. “I thought ya would take a bit more convincin’.”

“I’m the one who requested the service,” Poppy reminded absentmindedly, and then lost her trail of thought as Tora sat up, his hands gripping the bottom of her shirt. She sat up as Tora pulled her shirt off, and blushed as he paused, admiring her. 

Poppy could see his eyes undressing her, and felt shy under the stare. He seemed to notice her getting squirmy, since he leaned back down, their skin warm to the touch, and he kissed her deeply. 

His tongue wove with hers, and soon her nervousness about him seeing her body disappeared. Tora was intoxicating, and her hands soon reached up to explore his skin as much as she could. He pulled away, panting, and his mouth went to her neck. 

“Shit, you’re beautiful,” he growled in her ear, and she couldn’t help but lightly do her nails into his back. But as he nibbles on her ear, she reflectively bucked her hips up to him, a moan escaping her lips. He made a pleased humming noise in her ear, and trailed kisses down to her breasts. She had made sure to at least have cute underwear on, and the bra was white with blue floral designs. He kissed along the lace on the trim, and she felt his hand wiggle up behind her. She arched her back so he could get to the clasp, and with expert fingers unhooked it. Tora ripped it off her, and without giving Poppy a second, he sucked her nipple into his mouth. 

“Tora!” She moaned, her hands digging into his black hair. “Please, please, please…” she wasn’t even sure what she was begging him for. 

“What, darlin’?” He asked, releasing one breast, his hand going to cup the other, squeezing lightly. He blew on her nipple, and she felt herself shiver in delight. “What do you want me to do?”

“I need you,” she whined, biting down on her lip hard. 

“Yeah?” He grinned breathlessly at her. “Need me how?”

“Damnit, Tora,” she huffed, grabbing at his underwear. “I  _ need _ you inside me.”

“Mm,” he hummed, and grabbed her hands. He brought them up around his neck, and had the nerve to wink at her as she was almost shaking in the need she felt… 

Her stomach muscles jolted as she felt him trail kisses just above her pant line, and she gripped a handful of his hair. His hands massages her hips, slipping them under her shorts. He pulled both her panties and shorts down slowly, giving Poppy more than enough time to stop him if needed. 

But she didn’t. Poppy wouldn’t consider stopping him now. 

He scooted down the bed a little bit more, kissing her hip bones, tongue flicking out gently before nipping her. 

“Tora.” Poppy couldn’t take it anymore. He almost made a chuckling noise, and shifted, pushing her legs over his shoulders. Poppy felt herself become almost embarrassingly wet at the sight of him between her legs. 

Tora looked up at her, and her breathing stopped, as he lowered his mouth down onto her clit. Poppy gasped, arching her back. 

If Poppy cursed, she would be saying a string of them right about now. Tora was  _ talented,  _ and she could already feel the pressure building up. Was she going to cum even before seeing his dick? Was she going to be able to finish more than once? 

Tora released her, and she felt her legs shaking as he looked up at her. Poppy would do anything he asked at that moment. He grinned, bringing his hand up to his mouth and quickly sucking on his ring and middle finger, before lowering them between her legs. 

“Oh, T-Tora-!” She gasped as he inserted the two fingers inside her, and slowly started pulling them in and out of her. She couldn’t help but notice his eyes on her face, as if watching for her signs and cues to keep going. And that turned her on even more. “Tora, Tora, Tora… I’m gonna… please!” He lowered his mouth back down to her, pressing and swirling his tongue on her clit as he kept fingering her at the same speed. 

Poppy came so hard. The hardest she had ever in her life, with her hands tangled in his hair, squeezing his head between her thighs. He didn’t stop his relentless pace, either, until he knew she had finished. 

He pressed kisses up her thigh to her knee as she collapsed, breathing hard. He crawled up next to her, laying on his side, head propped up. His underwear was still on, and she could see the outline of his dick through the fabric. 

“Good?” He asked, nuzzling his nose in her hair. 

“Is that a question?” Poppy said breathlessly. “I have never… I don’t even think…” She trailed off. She couldn’t even talk straight. 

“Did ya want to keep going?” He asked, and his hand came up to her breast, and teased her nipple. Her body was already ready, and she wanted to see the rest of this beautiful man. 

“You are asking silly questions,” Poppy giggled. 

“Good. I’m fuckin’ hard as a goddamn rock,” Tora said bluntly, and it sent Poppy into another wave of giggles. Tora grinned, and started the trail of kissing down her neck once again. “Ya know, most girls don’t fuckin’ giggle during this shit.”

“Are you always so… funny…” Poppy trailed off, swallowing. Tora stood, grabbing Poppy’s ankles, and pulled her to the edge of the bed. His hands went to his briefs, and Poppy sat up. “C-Can I?”

Tora blinked. “Sure.” And his hands dropped. Poppy reached towards him with shy fingers, and touched his thigh. He hadn’t realized he had a full leg sleeve, too. She brushed down to the tiger, skirting around just pulling his undies down. 

She glanced up, and found him staring down at her interestedly. Poppy felt herself blush, and looked down. Taking a deep breath, she reached up, and slipped her thumbs under the fabric. 

Even though she could see the shape of it under the briefs, it was so much bigger once she pulled the fabric off. Poppy trailed her fingers over the tuft of black hair, and gripped his dick. He inhaled sharply, and Poppy grinned. She had never given the other escorts blow jobs, but they had never given her oral that good before. 

She felt Tora’s body jolt as she took him into her mouth. His hand gripped her hair, pulling it from her face, wrapping it once around his wrist. He didn’t push her head or anything, and just followed her motions as she bobbed her head up and down. 

“Fuck, Pops,” Tora moaned. Poppy felt proud she could make such a handsome guy moan  _ her _ name. She took him as deep in her throat as she could, and he used her hair to pull her back. He was panting. Poppy looked innocently up at him. He growled, reaching down and picking her up. 

Poppy squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck. But he only turned, falling back on her bed, with her straddling Tora. 

She felt his dick between them, and Poppy suddenly remembered the condoms. She scrambled over him, reaching for the box she had left out on the nightstand. She tore it open, and Tora took the green condom. Pinching the tip, he rolled all the way down. Just watching him do it was a turn on. 

“R-Ready?” Poppy asked,even though she was straddling him, her hand unconsciously wrapped around his shaft, going up and down. 

“Fuck yes,” Tora breathed, and smiled at her. Those  _ dimples _ . She suddenly felt her wallet hurting from how frequently she would be requesting Tora’s company…

Poppy straightened, her hand not leaving his dick. Her other hand was on Tora’s chest to steady herself. Poppy bit her lip as she slid the top of his dick up and down, before pausing and sliding him inside her. 

Tora’s hand came up to grab her thighs, and she heard his sharp intake of breath. Poppy moaned, the feeling of him filling her completely. She squirmed, moaning. How did the whole thing fit inside her? 

Keeping both hands on his chest to steady herself, she slid up and down, slowly at first, but from their moans and pants, it steadily grew faster and more desperate. Tora sat up to kiss her, hands grabbing her ass to keep the pace. 

“Ya gonna cum again, Miss Wilkes?” He growled in her ear, and Poppy duh her nails into his shoulders. 

“I-I… mm,” Poppy couldn’t even form coherent words. Her mind was a mess of thoughts, the only focus on the primal urge to fuck this man. He moaned in her ear, before biting her earlobe. His hands kneaded her ass as he kept the pace between them. 

“Fuck, Poppy, I’m gonna cum,” Tora panted, and she could feel him tending under her fingers, and she was so out of breathe she couldn’t speak. She only nodded, and bobbed her ass faster. 

Poppy only managed a, “Please!” as her muscles ached at the fast rhythm. It seemed at her plea Tora could take no more, since his fingers dug into her hips, and he slowed her pace, and she could feel the twitch of his dick inside her as he came. At the feeling, it tipped her over the edge she didn’t know she had been riding. 

The two collapsed, Poppy on Tora’s chest, panting. After a moment, Poppy slid to his side, arm over his stomach. His arm laid lazily over her shoulders, stroking her head absently. 

Eventually, they regained their breath, and Tora tilted down to kiss the crown of her head. Poppy purred. 

“You do this every time?” Poppy laughed breathlessly. “My wallet is going to be hurting, if so.”

“Why’s that.”

“Cause I’ll be requesting your… services?” Poppy said, as if it was obvious. 

“I don’t usually do this,” Tora said lightly. “Though a career change is soundin’ pretty good.”

“Wait, is this your first time taking a job like this?” Poppy was surprised, and looked up at him. 

“Would ya be mad if I said yes?”

“I don’t think anyone could be mad after that,” Poppy giggled. 

“The owner of the thing is my friend,” Tora went on to explain. “I’m not an actual escort. I was fillin’ in for the guy that was supposed to come.”

Poppy looked at him in awe. “So… I guess this is the only time, huh?” Poppy tried not to feel disappointed. It was supposed to be like this. She didn’t have time for anything serious. But on top of being incredibly handsome and nice, he knew how to treat a girl… at least in the bedroom. 

He grinned down at her. “Ya have my cell number. Feel free to text me anytime.”

Poppy felt the blush, and she smiled at him, nuzzling into his side again. “I would like that.”


	2. Tora’s POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tora’s POV of being convinced by Quincey and meeting Poppy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I just did a little snippet of Quincey begging Tora and then how he felt when he first met Pops 💕 I will do a chapter of the morning after, but I figured I’d post this now (:

Tora was playing his video game when he heard his phone ring, and when he glanced to see who was calling, he was shot and killed. He huffed, tossing the controller on the other side of the couch and picked up his phone. Quincey?

He wasn’t in a bad mood, so he answered. “What.”

“Tora!” Quincey singsonged. “My very best friend.”

Fuck. He knew that tone. Tora rubbed his face, looking down at himself already dressed down for the night. He didn’t want to put clothes on. “Whatcha want, Quince?”

“I need a huge favor,” Quincey said sheepishly. “And I’m only asking you cause I trust you and she’s a high paying client.”

Tora wasn’t putting two and two together. Quincey had a few different businesses, and he couldn’t think of any that he could help him out with any clients-

Wait. 

“I know ya not calling me this late to go fuck some girl,” Tora deadpanned. The silence on the other end of the phone told him that was exactly what Quincey was doing. 

“Look, Tora, darling,” Quincey pleaded. “She’s a  _ doll _ . She’s a big fancy book editor, and she only requests us every so often. I was going to send Damien, but we had a request for him last minute! The last few guys said her place was nice, she was always cleaned up, and they just did the deed and left almost immediately after. It’ll take an hour of your time.”

Tora had lit a cigarette as Quincey talked, and he blew the smoke out before replying. “How much.”

“I’ll send you all the money she paid for tonight,” Quincey said, sounding relieved now that Tora was being swayed.

“Ya know, she’s gonna be disappointed in all the small dick boys you send after tonight,” Tora smirked. “Sure you wanna lose a client?”

“You just think so highly of yourself,” Quincey laughed. “But you’ll do it? I’m sending her your picture right now. Remember that one I took while we were working out?”

“I fuckin’ hate that one,” Tora grumbled, standing and wondering into his bedroom. 

“Oh, and wear your tux, please,” Quincey added as Tora heard him typing away. “Gotta keep up the appearance for  _ Quincey’s Angels.” _

“Ya shoulda just called it  _ Quincess _ or some shit.”

Tora regretted agreeing as he pulled out the tux and threw it on his bed. Quincey ignored him, and sent him the address along with her name. And then the amount she had paid for the night. 

Tora blinked in surprise. It was a nice amount of money. Damn, maybe a career change would be a good idea. Working security for events and whatnot paid decently, but what he was going to be making in a night for an hour was what he made for a full shift. 

Quincey also reminded him to take a shower and shave if he needed to. Tora rolled his eyes, but did as he said and stripped and hopped in the shower. Luckily, her place wasn’t too far from his. 

He had already shaved his face that morning, so he just quickly took a shower and brushed his teeth. He still couldn’t believe he let Quincey talk him into this. Then again, he hadn’t gotten some in a minute. He had a coworker that always gave him ‘Fuck Me’ eyes but he was never interested. 

He put on deodorant and a light cologne, and pulled on the tux. It was almost too tight, and he cussed the entire time fitting it all on. He fuckin’ hated wearing it. He was so glad when the security agency switched from tux’s to slacks and polos. He had gotten bigger since he had last out this shit on. 

After redoing his tye three times, he grabbed his car keys and phone. He inputted the address, and headed downstairs. It was eight forty-five, so he gunned it down to the place. 

He knew what neighborhood it was, but he was still surprised when he pulled up to some nice, modern condos. They had just been built a few years ago, and the price for them had been crazy. 

Tora lit a cigarettes and took a drag, pulling up to the gate. He pulled up the number Quincey had given him for the girl, and quickly texted her. 

_ This is Tora, from QA. I’m outside. What’s the gate code? _

_ It’s 5973! I’m on the eighth floor.  _

She responded back almost immediately, and he punched in the code. As the gate slid open, he crushed out the cigarette in the little holster he had in the car so he didn’t have to throw his butts out the window, and popped in a breath mint. He had learned long ago girls hated kissin’ him when he tasted like an ashtray. 

Tora felt himself get nervous as he stepped out of the car. He entered the condo building, and walked slowly towards the elevator, and hit the eight button. As it rose he suddenly regretted not taking a moment to finish that cigarette. 

The elevator doors slid open, and he slowly walked down to the correct door. Number 804. He bit his cheek, and knocked. There was a moment, and then the door opened. 

To say he was stunned by who he saw was an understatement. Tora was honestly expecting someone much older, and not quite so… cute? She was very cute. Very girl next door, cute school girl librarian type. Not his usual type, but damn was he changing his mind. 

Those big chocolate eyes looked at him nervously, and the blush across her face was so undeniably… cute. 

_ Jesus fuck. How many times ya gonna think she’s hella cute? _ He scolded inwardly. But there was no other way to describe her. And she was  _ short. _ Tora already began to worry about breaking her. 

Tora realized they were just standing there staring at each other. He cleared his throat. “Hey, I’m Tora.”

“Poppy!” She said quickly, seeming to finally pull herself from her trance. Somehow her face turned a darker red color and she stepped aside. “C-Come in!”

_ Fuck. She was the cutest goddamn thing. And I get to… _ Tora paused that train of thought for the time being. “Nice to meet ya,” he said, voice husky. He could already feel all the blood rushing to his dick, and he wanted to appear somewhat professional. He glanced around her condo, and it was very fancy boho, if that made sense. She had an entire wall of books, and he wondered if they were ones published through her own company. Probably not all of them. Overall, the place looked relatively untouched, and was spotless. 

He looked back down to her, and she was staring at him again. Tora swallowed. He wanted to fuckin’ pin her against the wall and ravish her. “So, how ya wanna do this?”  _ Here and now? _

“Like, how?” She said absentmindedly, and Tora grinned.  _ Jesus fucking Christ. They shoulda fuckin warned me. I’m already simping over this girl and I met her five minutes ago.  _ Her face turned a shade of red that Tora didn’t even know was possible. “Oh. Um. I’m not sure. Do you want water or anything?”

With that, she turned on her heel and hurried into the kitchen. Tora could help but trail his eyes down her body, with her long hair swaying just above that perfect ass. He followed behind her, just taking a few steps to catch up to her. 

“This your first time?” Tora asked lightly. He knew it wasn’t, but watching her squirm and become awkward in his presence made it seem like it. Was Quincey’s choices of men a bit stagnant, or was he just that intimidating? He wasn’t quite sure.

He stepped up behind her as she was looking through the cabinets, trying to find some cup. He noticed them somewhat in the back of the shelf, but he was quite thirsty… for water, that is. 

“N-No,” she laughed airily. “You just don’t… look quite like the other ones.”

She had paused in her search for a cup, and Tora took the moment to place his hands deliberately slow on the counter, so she was trapped between his arms. 

“I’m a good way?” He asked softly, and at this proximity with her, he could smell the vanilla of her lotion. “Or bad?”

“G-Good. Very good.” 

Tora couldn’t suppress the need to touch her, so he reached up slowly and brush her cheek with his fingertips, giving her the time to stop or pull away. He trailed down, lightly pulling her hair to the side and away from her neck and shoulder he leaned forward, and paused before kissing the soft skin of her neck. “Ya want me to take it from here?”

“Please.” It was almost like a whispered plea. 

And Tora did as she wished. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t want to go through the whole scene since y’all just read it haha. And I didn’t realize switching POV’s of the same scene would be so hard?? But, yeah, hope y’all enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I really never intended to continue this. But I’m so glad everyone is liking it 😂

Somehow, Tora had ended up staying the night. He didn’t need to be anywhere till later the next day, and otherwise he would’ve stayed up late playing video games. Having a busty brunette cuddled up to him had been much more appealing. 

At some point after their first go around, Poppy dragged herself out of bed to take a shower. 

***

Poppy looked back at him where he stayed on the bed as she was in the doorway to the bathroom. At some point they had pulled the blanket up over themselves, and it fell to his hips as he propped himself up on his elbows to watch her sashay away from him. She blushed when she caught him staring. “D-Do you wanna… shower?” 

Tora blinked. “Ya wanna shower together?”

“Only if you want!” She said hurriedly. “I don’t know if you needed to leave or anything. I just always feel so… sticky afterwards.”

“Did you want me to leave?” Tora asked, kicking the blanket off and standing. 

She kept her eyes solely on his face as he approached her. They were almost chest to chest before she spoke. “You can do whatever you’d like, Tora.”

Those words made his mind wander to… possibilities. He smiled, and reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, let's take a shower.”

She wrinkled her nose at him but went to the open shower and turned it on. It was surrounded in stone, and was so deep it didn’t need a shower curtain. And the water came from the ceiling rather than the wall, so that meant Tora wouldn’t have to bend down. 

Poppy checked the water temperature, and then went to the small closet. She opened it to reveal linens and such, and she grabbed another towel, for him, he assumed. 

She laid it on the counter, and turned to catch him looking at her again. She blushed, and looked away giggling. “What?”

“Ya cute,” Tora said honestly, shrugging. She didn’t look at him as she stepped into the shower, and he stepped in after her. It was a wide shower head, and both of them together seemed to almost fit under it. 

“So,” Poppy turned to him as she pushed her hair back. “Why did you come here even though you’re not an escort?”

Tora paused. He wasn’t going to tell her it was mostly because of the money. Cause at this point, he would’ve done it for free. And pretty much anytime she wanted. So, he went with the second choice that was only a slight reason. “Friend of the owner. Nice guy. Childhood friends. Said ya was a cute top notch client.”

“Nothing to do with the money?” She raised a brow, smiling mischievous. 

Tora almost chuckled. “Fine. Maybe at first. But after that… not so much.” He would do this free of charge from now on. Fuck, he wouldn’t mind giving her money back in full. 

She laughed, and Tora smiled. He was not expecting this kinda woman. He was looking forward to getting out and cuddling on the bed together again, maybe stealing a few kisses if she didn’t pass out. The possibilities…

Poppy reached for the little shelf in the wall and grabbed her body soap. Tora reached, and gripped it. Curious, Poppy let him take it. He squeezed some of the vanilla scented soap in his hands, and twirled his finger in a circle, motioning for her to turn around. 

She did so, and pulled her hair over her shoulder. He slowly lathered the soap in his hands, and then made slow circles on her back. He saw her eye lids slide shut, and he smoothed his hands down her sides. 

_ Fuck _ . Tora felt the blood rushing to his dick as he got to her ass, and gripped each cheek lightly. Poppy chuckled, and he released her as she turned back around to him. He couldn’t tell if she was blushing, or if the water was getting hot. Both? Probably. 

He went from her shoulders down her arms, and she was watching him with interest as he kept his eyes on the task he set for himself. His hands switched from her arms to her hips, and he slowly traced circles on her stomach, before reaching up and cupping her breasts. Poppy bit her lip, pressing them harder into his hands. His thumbs swirled around her nipples, and Tora saw her shudder. 

“How do you have this amount of stamina?” She huffed, and Tora looked at her to see her staring at his manhood. He was already fuckin’ hard, just soaping her up. 

“Do ya want me to stop?” 

“I-I didn’t say that,” she mumbled. Tora hummed, releasing one breast to lightly grab her jaw. Her lips parted as he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. 

_ Fuck. We need to get back to the bed _ . The water had washed off her body, and the way she was looking at him with half lidded eyes was undoing him. 

“C’mere,” he growled, and her arms instantly wrapped around his neck as he picked her up. 

“Tora! We’re wet!” Poppy laughed as he turned the water off and carried her out. He grabbed one of the towels hanging by the door, which made Poppy laugh harder. He smiled, tossing the towel down before laying her gently on top of it. 

Tora reached for the three unused condoms squares and ripped one off. Movement from Poppy caught his eye, and she looked up at him with lidded eyes as she slid her hand between her legs. 

“Darlin’, I hope ya don’t need to go anywhere tomorrow,” Tora said, his voice husky. “Cause I’m gonna fuck ya till you’re sore.”

“I’m gonna… hold you… to that!” The last part of her sentence went high pitched as Tora joined his hand to hers and took over the job.  _ Fuck, she’s already dripping.  _ The condom sat almost forgotten in his other hand, and when he heard her huff and moan as he slid her fingers in and outta her. He was already on the edge of coming even though they had just fucked not even an hour ago. 

Keeping up the slow pace with his fingers, he ripped the condom open with his teeth and with only a moment's difficulty got the condom rolled down. Poppy’s hands were in her hair, back arched beautifully. 

“Poppy,” Tora huffed. She cracked and eye open to look at him. “Imma put my dick in ya, okay?” she bit her lip and nodded. Tora withdrew his fingers, and Poppy let out a whimper, legs spreading further apart. 

Replacing his fingers, he pressed the head of his dick into her. She whimpered, trying to push down further on to him. 

Tora grabbed her knees, and held her in place. If there was any mental picture he could keep forever, it would be this one. 

This fucking busty brunette, nipples hard, back arched, droplets of water still adorning her skin. Her wet hair fanned out under her, lips parted and swollen from kissing her. Half lidded eyes pleading him to take her. And watching his dick slowly sliding into her slick center. 

It was all he could do to not ram right into her. 

Poppy whined and squirmed, her own hands cupping her breasts and squeezing. Tora grinned lightly, pressing deeper into her. He watched as she shivered, and it only encouraged him. Tora watched as his whole dick slid in her, and he paused, savoring the feeling of her clamped around him. Poppy moaned, still squirming, encouraging him to keep his promise. 

He started thrusting slowly, and then faster. And faster. Poppy’s moans and pants were edging him on all the more, and he extended both of her legs, and placed them over one shoulder. 

“T-Tora!” She cried, and he left one arm to encircle her legs to him and reached down with his other to grasp her breast, teasing the nipple. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. He picked up the pace, and went from teasing to pinching her nipple between his fingers. As he found the rhythm, he noticed she was about to orgasm. Her lips parted in a silent plea, and Tora kept at his pace and force, not changing anything. 

“Come on, Pops,” Tora growled. “Fuckin’ cum on me.”

Tora watched as the wave of pleasure rolled down her body, and he almost came himself as he rode her through her orgasm. He pinched her nipple harder, and she gasped, hand flying to cover his as she finished. 

“Fuck, I couldn’t get tired of that,” Tora panted, as Poppy blinked up at him. “Watchin’ ya fuckin finish.”

She smiled breathlessly, her face flushed. “I-If it’s you, I don’t mind you watching.”

Tora felt his dick twitch, and he leaned down to kiss her. She moaned into his mouth, and he grabbed her hips. He growled a command, and she quickly followed. 

Poppy looked back at him over her shoulder, from where she turned and got on all fours, knees on the edge of the bed. He leaned down and peppered kisses and nips over her shoulders and neck, and hearing her moan his name was going to make him cum so hard. 

Tora straightened again, grasping her hip with one hand and aligning his cock to her with his other. Once aligned, his hand grasped her hip and he pushed roughly into her. 

“Tora!” Poppy threw her head back, nails digging into her comforter. 

“Still want me to fuck you till ya sore?” He asked breathlessly. At this point though, he wasn’t sure if he could do so otherwise. Poppy looked back at him, biting her lip, and nodded. 

And, fuck, did he keep his promise. 

Unlike the first time, he jerked her hips to him, burying his dick as far as he could go into her. 

***

After he had finished, they had both passed out in each other's arms right after cleaning up. Poppy had cuddled into his side, and Tora wrapped an arm tightly around her. Tora has meant to maybe partake in pillow talk, but Poppy was snoring before he got the chance. 

Though, now it was the morning after. Tora blinked awake, and almost instinctively reached out to his side for the small girl. 

But she wasn’t there. 

Tora sat up, rubbing his eyes and glanced around. The bathroom door was open, and he saw no sign of her. The bed was empty, and he was half expecting to see some sort of note saying she had to ”leave, something came up,” but there wasn’t one. 

Sliding out of bed, he found his underwear and pulled that on. He didn’t bring any overnight clothes, since he wasn’t expecting this to turn out how it did. Fumbling for his phone, he finally yanked it out of the pocket from multiple texts from Quincey. 

_ You find her place? You better be professional and not your typical thug type attitude.  _

_ Was it fun? Should I write up a new hire contract? _

_ Did she murder you or something? _

_ I’m just gonna assume she murdered you.  _

Tora grinned, and quickly typed back a confirmation he was indeed dead, and locked his phone. And, very faintly, he heard a voice. Tora debates about pulling on the slack pants, and finally decided against it, and went in search of her almost naked. 

Poppy wasn’t in the kitchen or living area, so he went down the shirt hall to the other room, and he heard her voice getting louder. He peeked in, and found her in a plush pink robe, sitting at a desk that was pressed up against the window were it looked over Narin. Her brows were pulled together as she was talking, and looking down at some paper. 

Tora leaned in the doorway, watching. 

“Yes, Mr. Lam, this project is one of my top priorities,” Poppy was saying. “The writer you want is very hard to get into contact with, but I have been making progress with that…. Yes, yes, I have a meeting set up with him on Monday… Mhm.” Poppy seemed to finally feel his eyes on her, since she glanced up, almost surprised, and mouthed ’ _ sorry!’ _ at him. 

Tora smiled at her, and she returned it, and she turned back to her desk as she continued talking to an apparent client. 

Tora ventured back towards the living room, and found she had just made some coffee. While he liked the smell of coffee, he had never been a fan of drinking it. She had even made pancakes with a bowl of fruit (how early did this girl wake up? And she let him sleep in?) he glanced at the clock and it was only a little before nine. At his place he usually slept till eleven, since his job usually kept him out late. 

Tora picked out a strawberry, the tops already cut off, and nibbles at the bottom of it. He still wasn’t sure if he was overstaying his welcome, and he didn’t want to leave while she was on the phone without a goodbye. 

Deciding to at least gather up his clothes, he went to the bedroom again. At least most of it was in one place and he didn’t have to go throughout the entire house. As he laid it all on the bed, he heard small hurried footsteps. Tora looked up as Poppy hurried to her room, and she smiled apologetically at him. “Sorry about that! I don’t usually get weekends off. And he’s been rather… interesting client, to say the least.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Tora assured, shrugging. “Don’t let me keep ya from work. I’ll get outta here. Just wanted to say goodbye.”

“Oh,” she said, and Tora looked up to see her somewhat disappointed face. She had approached him while he spoke, and now to see those big brown eyes looking almost sad, it made his heart ache. 

“Hey,” Tora reached up and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “Don’t go fallin’ head over heels for me already.”

Poppy giggled, shaking her head. “Okay, okay. Calm down. I-I was just hoping…” Tora stared at her, waiting for her to continue. “I don’t know what I was hoping for. I just wish I didn’t have to work this early. I was hoping for morning cuddles, o-or something, I guess,”

“Ya have my number,” he reminded her. “You can text me whenever. For whatever.” He grinned, and she nodded, chuckling. 

“For sure, for sure,” she agreed, and smiled up at him. Tora was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat, and before he processed anything, he leaned down and kissed her. She made a surprised noise, but didn’t pull away. The opposite, really, as she did open her mouth to him. 

Tora gently cupped the back of her neck. He felt her shyly lay her hands on his rib cage, and he suddenly wished she had weekends off. They broke apart, and their hands fell away from each other. 

Tora got back into his clothes, leaving the tie off and didn’t button the top buttons of his shirt. Poppy had stepped into the kitchen while he got clothes on, and he walked out to find her eating the pancakes, drenched in syrup. 

“T-Thanks for coming over,” she said, blushing, following him to the door. 

He turned to look down at her. “Anytime. Text me… soon.”

“Promise,” she reassured again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I was not planning on it going in this direction lmao i was planning some cute pillow talk or something


	4. Month

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy and Tora finally see each other again

Even though Poppy had promised to text Tora soon, after that weekend work had gotten literally insane. Poppy has begun the process of hiring at least two more people, and on top of interviews and her other projects, she barely had time to breath. 

Poppy finished an email, sent it, and sat back in her chair, sighing heavily. It was almost all under control. She decided after the new hires got their feet wet enough, she would take a mini vacation. And by that, sit at home and watch dumb TV shows. And maybe invite a certain someone to stay the night…

Poppy looked at her phone. Should she text him? Would she have enough time this weekend? It was Friday, but Poppy still had some things she needed to prepare for. 

There was a knock at her door, and she looked up. Erdene was looking at her through the glass, brow raised. The woman opened up the door and quickly shut it behind her. “Who has you looking at your phone with such a look?”

“Nothing,” Poppy laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Did I still need to do the touch ups for Mr. Lam’s book?”

“Nope!” Erdene shook her head. “The new guy’s got it. What’s his name? Gil?”

“Oh.” That crossed off a line on her list. “And what about the final edit on the-“

“I already did it!” Erdene squealed. “Finally. I worked through my lunches for the past two days to get it done. I’m pretty sure I have grey hairs.”

Poppy sighed dramatically. “Oh, man, Dene. There’s an end in sight after all.”

“Just a speck, but yes,” Dene sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk. “Wanna go out and get drinks tonight to celebrate?”

Poppy bit her lip. “Well, I still have to approve and send off some cover arts for that one book,  _ Temptation _ , and I gotta make sure…” Poppy could hear herself ramble, and saw Erdene’s bored look. 

“Okay, okay!” Erdene stood up and pointed at her. “Poppylan Wilkes, we’re getting drinks tonight. Jacob can do that, since he likes photography and all that jazz. He owes us for getting sick.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Poppy chuckled, but she did eventually agree for drinks. Erdene delegated some of her other weekend projects to the new guys, and with an evil look said it was sink or swim time. 

Poppy still felt nervous about it all, even as she got home and put on some light makeup and a nice outfit. The jeans clung to her hips, and definitely made her butt look nice. She pulled on a loose tank top, and headed out to meet Erdene for drinks. 

***

Tora stood out the exit, observing all the people shuffling out of the exhibit. Claude and Shing stood at the other side of the door, talking idly. At long last, the exhibit was empty, and the building manager gave them the okay to leave. 

As Tora headed to his car after bidding Claude and Shing a good night, his phone started ringing. He lit a cigarette as he pulled his phone out, and was surprised to see Gyu calling him. 

“‘Sup,” he said upon answering. 

“Big Bro!” Gyu said happily on the other end. “Long time no talk.”

“Didn’t we talk last week?” Tora blew the smoke out of his nose. The sun was just about to set, and he could hear the city becoming a rumble. A calm before the Friday night goers came out. 

“I guess,” he chuckled on the other end. “But I wanted to see if ya wanted to get drinks. On me. Got a fancy schmancy job.”

“You gonna quit all the serverin’ and bartendin’?” Tora crushed his cigarette in the metal tin in his car and snapped it shut. 

“Depends,” Gyu mused. “I got my first big assignment for the weekend. I should be able to get it done pretty quickly. But I wanted to grab drinks and catch up with ya.”

His car purred as he turned the key in the ignition. Going out seemed like an okay idea. Not like he had any other plans. Unfortunately. 

“Sure. Text me where.” They said goodbye, and almost as he hung up he got a text from Gyu with the address. 

Since the texts were open…

He opened the messages from Poppy. She hadn’t texted them since their first encounter, and Tora was struggling with it. Was she busy? Maybe she really only needed a good fuck every six months, like Quincey had said? 

_ She runs her own company, of course she’s fuckin’ busy, _ Tora thought to himself. He sighed, pulling out of the space and hurrying home. 

Tora went with jeans and a sweater, since it was approaching fall quickly. At night the temperatures dropped, and Tora had to keep a jacket in the car just in case.

He was surprised to see the place Gyu had told him to meet up at was a nicer restaurant, with what seemed a bar to the side of the main building. 

High-back booths lined the longest wall, and across from it being the bar. It was dim lighting, and some additional red bulbs to set the tone of the bar. It was surprisingly full, at least compared to what Tora was expecting. 

As he stood at the entrance, deciding on where to sit, he felt someone step to his side. Looking down, Gyu beamed up at him. 

“Looks like we got here nearly the same time,” Gyu grinned. Gyu led the way, and they slid into a booth. Gyu quickly ordered his drink (whiskey on the rocks with a shot of coke), and ordered a side of mozzarella sticks. Tora denied the drink menu and just asked for water and strawberry juice. 

“Just get off?” Gyu asked, leaning back. 

“When ya called,” Tora nodded. “Some fuckin’ art gallery or some shit. Nothin’ excitin’.”

“Don’t know,” Gyu mused. “Seeing some cool art sounds nice. Was it the Galhone exhibit?”

“Somethin’ like that,” Tora nodded. “So what’s ya new job?”

“I got a job at a Book Publisher!” Gyu announces happily. 

Tora blinked in surprise. “I thought ya was into computer stuff.”

“I am,” Gyu nodded. Their drinks arrived, and they thanked the server and the other man sipped at his before continuing. “But the pay was really nice, and I don’t mind doing some of the more editing aspects of the job. I also help with their computers a lot. So it’s the best of both worlds.”

“What’s the place called?” Tora asked, trying to not sound too interested. 

“Poppy Field Publishing.”

_ Fuck _ . That had to be hers, right? Not many people named Poppy that owned book publishing companies. Would it be a coincidence? He doubted it. She seemed to take great pride in her work, which he wouldn’t blame her for having the name be similar. 

Tora cleared his throat. “Well, that’s-“

“Fuck, speaking of,” Gyu chuckled nervously, looking past Tora towards the door which they had come from. “Guess who's here?” 

“Who?” Tora glanced over his shoulder, and paused. Their eyes met almost immediately, and he briefly wondered if she didn’t recognize him till he saw her smile broadly. 

“My supervisor and the gal who owns the company,” Gyu sighed. “Erdene is gonna be so mad when she sees me here drinking and not home working on the assignments.”

Poppylan turned to her friend who was talking to what seemed to be a host, and pointed in their direction. He didn’t even realize she had come with someone else. Then the two headed over their way, the other girl with her hands on her hips. 

“Hey,” Poppy said shyly as they got near. Tora had been half expecting her to ignore him, or something. He had not prepared for the scenario of running into her in public. The friend seemed to be scolding Gyu for something, but Tora hardly noticed. 

“Hey,” he said, and without thinking reached up and took her hand. “Been a minute.”

“Oh! Sorry! Tora, this is my new boss… have you two met?” Gyu seemed to be trying to direct the attention away from himself, but now that the friend and Gyu were looking at them they instantly noticed him grabbing her hand. 

“Oh! We’ve met,” Poppy said rather quickly. 

“Oh, yeah?” He glanced over to see the friend sizing him up, and then looking at Poppy curiously. “Well, we were just here to grab a drink. Giving Poppy a well deserved rest since I-“ she looked at Gyu pointedly. “-delegated some of her work up.”

“I’ll get it all done tomorrow,” Gyu laughed. “I promised! Tora and I haven’t met up in a minute, so I just wanted a couple drinks.”

“We were going to go sit at the bar, since all the booths are taken,” Erdene said, glancing around. 

“Wanna sit with us?” Tora asked, and stood up. Damn, he forgot how small she was. Gyu gave him a look of ‘ _ what the fuck bro?’  _ but Tora ignored him. It was just him and Poppy there, for all he cared. 

Poppy glanced at her friend, but nodded. “Yeah, that would be nice!”

The girls joined them, and after a few drinks in Gyu and Erdene they seemed to relax. Gyu was obviously still new, and seemed surprised to see how relaxed Poppy and Erdene became. Then again, Poppy did not seem like the mean boss type. 

For the most part, he watched as the three interacted. Though, Poppy shot him enough looks to make it seem like he was part of the conversations. 

“So, how did you two meet again?” Erdene was eyeing them across the booth, a very mischievous look on her face, brow raised suggestively. 

Poppy didn’t seem to know what to say, so Tora jumped in. “Mutual friend.”

“Who?” Gyu asked, obviously confused. Tora knee he didn’t have many but fuck, Gyu. Way to make it seem like he was a complete loner. 

“Quincey,” Tora shrugged. 

Gyu choked on his drink, and the girls laughed as Erdene patted his back. The man gave him a surprised look, but Tora pretended to look at something interesting on the table. 

“Well, guys, I’m pretty tired,” Poppy admitted. She had a few drinks, and her face was flush. But otherwise she seemed very alert and focused. 

“Yeah, you stayed out longer than I thought,” Erdene giggled. She seemed much more tipsy than her friend. “You just have to relax like this all weekend. At least till Sunday afternoon.”

“I’ll try,” Poppy promised. 

Tora was disappointed as he stood to let her get out. He would’ve wanted much more time with the brunette. But it seemed like Gyu had the same idea, and Erdene and him clicked glasses and downed the last of their drinks. 

“Can I get the tab, please?” Poppy asked the bartender. 

“Wait, I can get it,” Tora quickly said, coming up beside her. 

Poppy grinned at him. “I got it. Don’t worry. I don’t have time to spend a lot of money, but when I do, I like to. Especially on such good company.”

“Don’t bother fighting with her about it,” Erdene sighed dramatically, typing on her phone. “I lose every time.”

Poppy paid quickly, and the four of them walked out.

It did get a bit chilly, and Tora took a deep breath of the crisp air. He always preferred the colder months, and was quite excited about the fall. Narin was always his favorite month. 

“Want me to book you a NUber?” Erdene slung an arm around Poppy. “Sorry. I forgot to ask when I bought one.”

“I can drive ya,” Tora offered. 

Poppy smiled up at him, and nodded. “You’re okay to drive?”

“I don’t drink,” he shrugged. 

“Well, I’ll call you when I have a weekend off-“ Gyu looked pointedly at Erdene playfully, and she stuck her tongue out and laughed. “-And we can do some guy time, Big Bro.”

“Sounds good.” They fist bumped, and Erdene’s NUber pulled up. She waved frantically out the window, and Poppy laughed as her friend disappeared. Gyu just went ahead and got a cab (“They are much faster than getting a NUber”). 

And the two were alone. 

“Can I hold ya hand?” Tora asked, and felt his face warm up slightly. 

“Y-yeah,” Poppy agreed, and their hands clasped lightly as he lead her down to where he parked. He opened the door for her, and ducked down to sit in the driver’s seat. 

It was quiet for a moment before Poppy looked at him shyly. “Hey, Tora, I’m sorry about not texting you-“

“Don’t be,” he assured, glancing at her and smiling softly. “Ya don’t owe me nothin’.”

“I feel like I do!” She pressed. “It’s been so busy at work. I had to hire  _ two _ new full time employees. Gyu being one, obviously.”

“Sweetheart.” He pulled you a stop at a light and looked at her seriously. “Ya don’t have to apologize. It’s fine.”

He watched her throat work as she swallowed. “I… Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”

Almost embarrassingly, he remembered how to get to her building. She didn’t point it out, but he noticed the smug smile as he pulled into the car garage. He did need help with the passcode, and she giggled as she told him. 

“I was actually gonna text you tonight,” she admitted shyly once they got upstairs and she locked her front door. “I’ve been working straight through the week. I guess Erdene could tell it was wearing on me, since she gave the new guys some of my work load.”

Tora leaned on her kitchen counter, arms crossed, as she got a glass of water. “That busy, huh?”

“Lots of books get published in the winter, due to everyone wanting to stay inside and read,” Poppy said almost fondly, and she went silent as she was lost in thought. Or lost in a memory. 

“What’s your favorite book?” He asked suddenly. Tora had never been into reading, and admittedly didn’t much care for it at all. He tended to not understand or be able to piece together everything in order to better understand what was going on, and he was almost timid to bring it up. He didn’t want Poppy thinking any less of him. 

“ _ Old Gloria, _ ” Poppy said instantly, smiling. “My father and I would read it every year whenever the first snow fell.”

“What’s it about?” 

She told him, and they moved to the couch as she talked. Tora studied her as she became instantly in love, talking about this book. About some heroine forced from her kingdom, forced to live as a slave girl. And as she grew older, how she became a better person because of it, and whenever she decided to return to the throne how the townspeople fell in love with her. 

Tora at some point reached out and held her hand, and that gradually turned into her laying against him as he leaned back as she went through the tale. 

It was almost unreal how warm and how comfortable it was to cuddle with her, even after a weird encounter and not seeing each other for over a month. But Tora never felt so at ease, and soon enough he was lightly rubbing his fingers through her hair. 

She looked back at him, blushing. “What’s your favorite book?”

“... don’t read,” he admitted, and waited for the look that was somewhere in surprise and disgust that most people gave him. 

But she didn’t. She merely shrugged and said, “Some people don’t enjoy reading. And that’s fine! I’ve definitely cut back on personal reading since this job.”

Tora wrapped his arms around her, his mouth next to her ear. “I wouldn’t mind hearin’ ya read to me.”

“Ooh, we’ll put that one as a definite possibility,” she agreed, nodding happily. She glanced at him up and down, and she blushed. “Sorry, I was rambling, wasn’t I?”

Tora smiled. “I didn’t mind.”

“I-I wasn’t sure if you’d be interested in just one thing or not,” she admitted, tugging at a loose string on his sweater. “Since we met under… unusual circumstances.”

He blushed at the memory. “Don’t know if I would change it, either.”

She chuckled as she turned her body towards him, resting her hands shyly on his shoulders. “Would you wanna… recreate it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! I will be adding chapters here as I finish them. I have no clue how long of a story this will be, and I can’t say how fast I’ll be able to get chapters out! It’s definitely a little break and helps with inspiration for The Band ARES fic (:


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